Western Michigan's Carder to begin rehab process

Injured Western Michigan quarterback Alex Carder is one step closer to getting back on the field, but his return isn't imminent.

Carder suffered a broken middle finger on his passing hand Sept. 15 when he banged it on a helmet in a game against UConn. He had surgery in Kansas a few days later to put a screw in the finger.

The screw was supposed to be removed this week, and that would allow Carder to start rehabbing the finger.

There is no specific date Carder would return to practice or games. His recovery will dictate the return date.

Junior Tyler Van Tubbergen has filled in for Carder, who was considered the MAC's top quarterback at the beginning of the season.

Van Tubbergen has played well in the limited chances he's had this year and last season. Last week against UMass, he completed 23-of-28 passes for 283 yards and five touchdowns to spark a 52-14 victory.

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NCAAF Team Report - Western Michigan - NOTES, QUOTES

--QB Tyler Van Tubbergen started his second consecutive game in place of injured Alex Carder Oct. 6 and came up with a big performance against UMass. Van Tubbergen passed for five touchdowns and 283 yards to lead an easy 52-14 victory.

--Carder suffered a broken middle finger on his passing hand Sept. 15 against UConn. He had surgery to place a screw in the finger, and the screw was removed this week. How quickly he responds during rehabilitation will determine when he can play again, but it won't be this week against Ball State.

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: Western Michigan responded to QB Tyler Van Tubbergen's second start of the season when it played UMass. The Broncos eased him into his role by throwing a lot of short passes, and he appeared comfortable. His first TD pass came on a screen to RB Brian Fields and RB Antoin Scriven led the team in catches with six.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: The Broncos' new 3-3-5 defense has been able to put good pressure on opposing offenses. Western Michigan is able to cover one-on-one in the secondary and unleash pass rushers up front. In running situations, they have the ability to overload the box with one more defender than offenses can provide blockers.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "The kids have to understand we're behind now and we can't afford to slip up. We have a tough game this week with Ball State." -- WMU coach Bill Cubit on his team's situation with a 1-1 record early in the MAC season.

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NCAAF Team Report - Western Michigan - STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

THIS WEEK'S GAME: Western Michigan at Ball State, Oct. 13 -- The Broncos are 1-1 in the Mid-American Conference West and can't afford a second loss this early because of the likelihood they would fall two games behind unbeatens Toledo and Northern Illinois at the top of the standings.

KEYS TO THE GAME: Western Michigan must slow down Ball State's prolific offense and take advantage of a suspect Cardinals defense. Ball State ran 100 offensive plays last week against a good Northern Illinois defense. The Broncos have to get the Cardinals' up-tempo no-huddle offense off the field.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

LB Devon Brant -- He led a strong defensive effort for Western Michigan last week that produced four sacks and eight tackles for loss against UMass by making a career-high 11 tackles. The Broncos held the Minutemen to 218 yards of offense.

TBs Dareyon Chance, Brian Fields and Antoin Scriven combined to produce 169 yards rushing, averaging 6.5 yards per carry, for Western Michigan against UMass. Coach Bill Cubit called it one of the best rushing attacks the Broncos have had in his eight seasons as coach.

DE Freddie Bishop tied his career high for sacks last week with 1.5.

ROSTER REPORT

--WR Eric Monette returned to practice last week after missing three games with a sprained ankle. He started against UMass on Oct. 6 but was in for only two plays before re-injuring the ankle and leaving the game.

--QB Alex Carder missed the game against UMass, his second this year, after having surgery on a broken finger on his passing hand. He is out indefinitely, but began rehab this week.

--WR Kendrick Roberts broke a finger against Toledo on Sept. 29. He played against UMass and caught two passes for six yards.

--Starting LG Kasimili Utalia was suspended for last week's game for undisclosed reasons. His status for this week is uncertain.

--LB Paul Hazel has missed two games with an ankle injury and is unlikely to play this week. Kyle Lark started in his place and had six tackles last week against UMass.